Reports of flu in Chattanooga area increasing

FLU ACTIVITY

Top 10 States with flu activity as of Jan. 291. Oklahoma2. Texas3. Connecticut4. Nebraska5. Iowa6. Wyoming7. Louisiana8. Mississippi9. South Dakota10. New Jersey14. Tennessee15. Alabama32. GeorgiaSource: Walgreens

Cases of influenza increased dramatically in Chattanooga during January, compared to the previous year, according to data filed by area hospitals with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department.

Parkridge Health System reported 163 cases of flu this January, compared to only 35 last year at the same time, spokesman Jamie Lawson said.

Erlanger hospital treated 112 cases through Jan. 28, peaking at 63 people during the week of Jan. 15-21, spokeswoman Jennifer Homa said. The hospital saw about 30 flu cases during the same time in 2016. Last year, Erlanger reported no more than eight cases of suspected influenza in any week through early February, while this year every week in January was in double digits.

CHI Memorial reported 92 cases during all of January, spokeswoman Karen Long said. Numbers for last year were not immediately available, she said.

Peak flu season varies widely from year to year. Last year, reported cases were highest in March, according to data from the health department, while in 2014 the largest number of cases occurred in December.

"We expect this once a season," said Dr. Jay Sizemore, an infectious disease specialist at Erlanger.

As of late January, 29 of Tennessee's 95 counties had at least one confirmed influenza-positive result in recent weeks. More than 8 percent of flu tests were coming back positive now, the state said.

"We typically see our highest numbers of seasonal flu cases reported in Tennessee in January and February, and we are now seeing local-level flu activity across the state," Shelley Walker, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Health, previously told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

While influenza is a miserable experience for everyone, it is life-threatening for young children, seniors and anyone who has trouble breathing. The number of flu deaths varies widely year-to-year, with a record low of 3,300 back in 1986, and a record high of nearly 49,000 deaths in 2003.

Sizemore said anyone who has not gotten a flu shot should still do so. While it is not 100 percent effective, it can offer significant protection and also reduce the chance that someone will pass the flu on to a family member who has not been vaccinated.

To avoid catching the flu, doctors recommend washing your hands regularly and not touching your eyes, nose or mouth. "Avoid people who are sick," Sizemore said. And if you are sick, stay home and don't go to work and contaminate all of your co-workers, he said.

Tennessee is not the worst-hit state in terms of the flu, at least so far. Oklahoma, Texas, Connecticut, Nebraska and Iowa were the top five states for flu activity, according to data from Walgreens.

Tennessee ranked 14th, with Alabama 15th and Georgia 32nd.

Contact staff writer Steve Johnson at 423-757-6673, sjohnson@timesfreepress.com, on Twitter @stevejohnsonTFP, and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/noogahealth.

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